When a Pharmaceutical Magazine’s Gaza Story is Itself Medical Negligence - by Simon Plosker

Pharmafile.com and its associate magazine Pharmafocus, instead of blaming Israel for all of Gaza’s ills and a “death sentence” on Gazans for a coronoavirus outbreak that hasn’t and hopefully will not happen, should stick to the issues it has actual expertise in.

Simon Plosker..
Honest Reporting..
07 April '20..

According to its mission statement, “Pharmafile.com is a leading portal for the pharmaceutical industry, providing industry professionals with pharma news, pharma events, pharma service company listings and pharma jobs.”

Pharmafile.com also has an associated trade magazine Pharmafocus. One wouldn’t expect a pharmaceutical magazine to stray into the realm of geopolitics. Unfortunately, this is exactly where it has gone with the prejudicially titled “Israeli blockade has made COVID-19 a “death sentence” in Gaza.”

Israeli blockade has made COVID-19 a “death sentence” in Gaza https://t.co/PPeNbPPJJF pic.twitter.com/iHqtobXq0x

— Pharmafocus (@Pharmafocus) April 6, 2020

Nobody should underplay the potential seriousness of the coronavirus threat to Gazans or anywhere else in the world. However, medical professionals and people in the pharmaceutical industry deserve factually-based evidence rather than hyperbole when it comes to assessing the threat.

In the first instance, blaming the “Israeli blockade” for a “death sentence” is obscene. At the time of writing, Gaza has 12 confirmed coronavirus cases and no deaths. Becoming infected with the virus, while potentially life-threatening, is in no way a death sentence according to global statistics. Thankfully, most of those with corona symptoms recover. It is also worth considering that the relatively young population of Gaza (a median age of around 17 years old) would indicate a potentially higher survival rate.

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